BY KATIE WENCLEWICZ, BLOGGER & GRACE ATTENDER
When I think of rest, I picture myself in my sweats getting a pedicure. For some of you gentlemen, rest may not be focused on getting your nails painted, but rather tuning into some football on a Sunday or even doing yard work. Yes, some people do find yard work restful!
If you were at church this weekend, you heard how that may not be God’s idea of rest (watch Barry's sermon here). In the midst of this weekend’s service, Barry threw some of us for a curveball.
He pointed out that when God rested – he wasn’t just on the couch flipping through channels. God’s rest is 100 percent active 24 hours of the day. While God completed his work on the sixth day of creation, he didn’t close his eyes to nap on the seventh day. He began to rule.
So you’re saying resting isn’t necessarily taking a nap after church or propping your feet up while your significant other takes over dinner? Well, while that may be a form of resting – the resting we heard this weekend is much more powerful.
At the end of Barry’s sermon, he pointed out that rest wasn’t always meant to stay in our comfort zone. Sometimes when God calls us to rest, he calls us to be active. Sounds like an oxymoron, but think about it. When God calls you to do something out of the box and you reply with a “Yes,” you may be in a season of rest. Part of truly resting in Jesus is fully trusting in God.
Are you not saying “Yes” enough? Are you resting your way and not His?
This past year, my fiancé and I decided that we wanted to grow our community in Grace outside of our volunteer time. Through prayer, we decided to go out on a limb and sign up for a Grace Group. While the process was fantastic and we met some new faces, the group fizzled out. (This is by no means trying to discourage you, but rather to share our story of saying “Yes.”) In the down time between November and January, we had more time on our hands and “rested.” After Christmas, though, I was tired of staying stagnant. The beautiful thing about personal growth is that you are challenged. I felt that God was calling us to keep extending hands and join another group. When I presented this to my fiancé, he was not necessarily up for the idea. We tried once; why try again? While I can make conversation with just about anyone, my fiancé enjoys his bubble sometimes – so I knew that for us to be all in God had to do some interceding. It was through some conversations that he agreed and said, “Yes” to God.
See, rest may not necessarily be comfortable or what you pictured – but God’s blessings come from your perseverance.
So, we joined a new group and I can already see that there is a huge difference from our first experience and this new one. We left looking at each other extremely encouraged and excited for the future.
Maybe God is physically calling you to rest or maybe he is waiting for you to say “yes” to a situation that may bring you out of your shell. Regardless, draw near to Him and through Him – I guarantee you will find rest. What will your answer be?
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